Friday, 21 June 2013

Small is beautiful

Written by James Jacobs, Communications Apprentice at Nottingham CVS, a Full member organisation of One East Midlands

This is the last
day of Small Charities Week – a national week established to raise the profile
of the thousands and thousands of small charities throughout the UK. Naturally,
the East Midlands has its fair share of these.

Oxfam, Save the
Children, the NSPCC – There are plenty of big charities in the ‘household
names’ league that often get the media’s attention. However, underneath these
gargantuan organisations there are many small, less visible charities often working
below the radar but delivering a plethora of great work.

One of the real
joys of working in the Voluntary and Community Sector is seeing the brilliant
work that these small charities do. More often than not they are the groups
that keep communities ticking – they cover a huge gamut of activities.

Here are just
three examples of the fantastic work that small charities do:

Take Double Impact, a Nottinghamshire based charity. They work with
young people who are recovering or stabilising from problematic drug or
alcohol use. They offer information, support and advice, as well as
helping them with their personal development, delivered one-to-one support
in small groups.

Then there is the Pet Blood Bank UK. They
collect blood from pet donors at collection sessions throughout the UK. The
blood donated is taken to a processing unit in Loughborough where it is
processed into red blood cells and plasma products. It is then
stored, ready to be supplied to veterinary practices.

Crowland Cares
is a charity that provides additional comfort and support for people in
the Crowland area of South Lincolnshire
who have health or social care needs. They provide information,
transport to and from hospitals and surgeries, help shopping and filling
in forms and letters.

Groups such as
those mentioned are more flexible than large, sometimes cumbersome
organisations. Though their budgets may not be as large as Oxfam or Save the
Children, they are just as passionate about doing their bit for society. Small charities are developed from and respond
to local and niche needs and therefore bring with them a vibrant and committed
army of dedicated volunteers (and volunteering opportunities). All the household names once started in this
way and supporting the growth of these valuable organisations is essential for a
functional and civil society.